In Greek mythology, the Furies were three
female spirits who relentlessly pursued anyone who committed gross
crimes such as murdering the very old, very young and family members.
They tormented their victims with deafening screams and curses
until the criminal either confessed or went insane.

When I heard that a chapter of the National
Organization for Women (NOW) tied the prosecution of Scott Peterson
to the abortion debate, I thought about the Furies.

When I heard Laci Peterson's story, I
was pretty sure she was dead. People walk away from their lives
every day, but this woman was in her final trimester of pregnancy
with her first child. She had a loving relationship with her family.
It was Christmas Eve. It didn't make sense that she just left.

As time passed, it also didn't appear
some crazed stranger took her. Suspicions centered on her husband,
Scott. His odd behavior only made them stronger.

The bodies of Laci and her unborn son
- whom she'd already named Connor - recently washed ashore from
the San Francisco Bay, and Scott Peterson was arrested. He was
charged with two counts of murder: one for his wife and the other
for his son.

That is where the NOW comes - totally
uninvited - into the story. Marva Stark, president of NOW's Morris
County, New Jersey chapter, objected to the double-murder charge,
saying, "If this is murder, well, then any time a late-term
fetus is aborted, they could call it murder."

Thanks for the sisterhood, Marva.

Instead of swooping down in defense of
Laci Peterson and her family, NOW is apparently trying to make
things easier for her alleged killer. These confused modern-day
Furies aren't screeching at Scott Peterson. By arguing that one
of the murder charges be dropped, they are essentially standing
in his corner.

The shock that Stark's statement caused
has forced some back-peddling, but there is no doubt this "trial
balloon" betrays NOW's priorities.

NOW seems so obsessed with abortion they
seem willing to overlook a couple of facts. Connor was a viable
baby. Childbirth can have complications, but - barring any problems
in the delivery - this little boy would be alive today. Second,
even if you believe an unborn baby is the property of its mother,
you still can't dismiss Connor's murder. Laci Peterson - by all
accounts from friends, relatives and neighbors - wanted her son
and was excited about his upcoming birth.

If I kill my neighbor's dog, I've destroyed
his property and am liable for my actions in a court of law. When
he allegedly took his wife's life, Scott Peterson also allegedly
destroyed the life of their son. Marva Stark apparently thinks
the life of an unborn human isn't worth as much as a dog's.

Abortion is something nobody really wants
to talk about anymore. Most of us have made up our minds and are
exhausted by the argument. But the death of Laci Peterson and
her child has nothing to do with Roe v. Wade. This was a terrible
crime against the innocent and the helpless.

Three decades ago, NOW was founded with
the intention of helping women obtain their full rights. Times
have changed. Most of the organization's original goals have been
achieved.

No one thinks twice about women working
outside the home anymore. Now, women who want to stay home and
raise children often must convince their husbands to go along
with it. Women are not only bumping up against the so-called glass
ceiling, but an increasing number of us are shattering it. As
for reproductive rights, more contraceptives are on the market
than ever before.

Today, all that seems to hold NOW's interest
is abortion. This one-track mindset led Marva Stark to make comments
that were not only crass, but also irrelevant.

The Peterson case is all about cold-blooded
murder. NOW's Furies should stay out of it.

###

(Kimberley Jane Wilson serves
on the National Advisory Council of the conservative African-American
leadership network Project 21. She can be reached at [email protected].)

Note: New Visions Commentaries reflect the views of their author,
and not necessarily those of Project 21.